Jamestown & Pocahontas

We spent some extra time on Captain John Smith and his influence with the settlement of Jamestown, named after King James, and his friendship with Pocahontas.  A favorite fact:  Pocahontas is a nickname from her father meaning "naughty one", when she was baptized in England they named her Rebecca.  (Lilly loved this!)  Lilly is our Rebecca/Pocahontas.  hehe!
Micah read The True Story of Pocahontas by Lucille Recht Penner and I read What's So Great About ...? Pocahontas by Susan Sales Harkins & William H. Harkins.

We are now beginning Squanto Friend of the Pilgrims by Clyde Robert Bulla.  This will transition us into our week of Native Americans.  He also meets Captain John Smith.

Sailing the seas

For two weeks we have been learning the dates & routes of various 'early explorers' - from Leif Ericsson 'the Viking' to Henry Hudson from England.  In between were Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, Ponce de Leon, Hernando de Soto, Ferdinand Magellan, Pedro Menendez, Vasco Balboa, Sir Walter Raleigh and John Smith.
We read a couple of fun chapter books:

• Pedro's Journal by Pam Conrad.  It was about a young boy hired on as Christopher Columbus' ship boy and the journey from August 3, 1492 - February 14, 1493.
• Who Was Ferdinand Magellan? by Sydelle Kramer.  This goes through the struggles of being given the opportunity to pursue his God-given dreams to find a route around the world.

During this time we created ships and sailed them across the Atlantic Ocean.  It was also fun to tell the kids I had been to St. Augustine, Florida where the very first settlement was built.

Barton House

Today was our first day back to the Barton House after taking the summer months off.  The kids did the majority of our lesson based on our Bible Study we did this summer 'All We Like Sheep'.  (Isaiah 53:6)  They took their stuffed animal sheep, their cotton ball sheep, and their sheep characteristic drawings.  Lilly told them all of the reasons why sheep need full-time supervision and Micah explained each characteristic from the sheep and shepherd view.
Micah played the piano and we met several new residents.  It was a wonderful time reconnecting with the residents and staff.

Falcons - 1st game coming up

Micah's flag football team is underway and ready to start their season of games.  His team name is the FALCONS.  Coach Marty, told Micah last week that he will be starting quarterback for the team's 1st game on Saturday (28th).  He is so excited, and yet he is so nervous.  Every night (and every morning) he asks for prayers for his game.  They got their jerseys last night.  They are reversible!  (Is the Neihardt side laughing?!)

More butterflies

We had just been to the Butterfly Wonderland where thousands of butterflies were living happily for their 14-day lifespan (most of them).  This morning we had two butterflies caught in our herb garden net.  We were so sad.  Then we decided that God had given us these butterflies, maybe on their final day, to observe.  He knew we had just learned a lot about them and now we could touch them, inspect them, and learn from them in our own home.  So, we did ... and we thanked God for them (along with a few shed tears ... from all of us).  It was neat to 'see' the individual scales, and more, that we had learned about just 4 days ago.

Butterfly Wonderland

We have a new museum in Scottsdale - the Butterfly Wonderland.  Some of our friends, in another homeschool co-op, got a great group rate and gave us the opportunity to go with them on Thursday.  It was beautiful!

Our favorite parts:
Lilly - 15 minute video of the butterfly migration
Jodie - watching butterflies come out of their chrysalis; being in the 'steam room' with all the butterflies
Micah - the bees, ants, scorpions, and tarantula

When Micah was talking about it later he said "the butterflies were very pretty, but ... there were so many of them ... they were creeping me out."

Eastside Explorers - Kick-Off

Our homeschool co-op, Eastside Explorers, hosted their Kick-Off this weekend.  On Saturday night a large turnout of families got together for a fun evening of playing, school photos being taken, and socializing.  There are many new families to get to know and many families that we have grown in great relationships with.  Looking ahead at the events and field trips offered - it's going to be another great year!  Can you find Micah & Lilly in this group photo?

EE Kids at Kick-Off